Iraqis take revenge on ISIL members' families in Mosul

Houses linked to terrorists set ablaze, Iraqi army says, following mass grave discovery

Iraq

09 Kasım 2016 Çarşamba 00:03

World Bulletin / News Desk

Residents in town near Mosul where a mass grave was discovered have been carrying out reprisals against the families of suspected ISIL extremists, an Iraqi army officer said Tuesday.

Col. Ahmed al-Jubouri, of the Nineveh Operations Command, said locals in Hamam al-Alil had torched around 20 houses thought to be occupied by ISIL members’ families.

“Those people were affected by ISIL’s extremist acts,” he said. “They also expelled eight families who are close relatives of members of the extremist group, asking them to immediately leave the district.”

On Monday, troops discovered the grave in Hamam al-Alil, around 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Mosul, containing about 100 decapitated bodies. ISIL has carried out many mass killings in Iraq and Syria.

Earlier Tuesday, the Peshmerga said they had “entirely liberated” Bashiqa.

The operation to retake Mosul, which ISIL captured in June 2014, was launched three weeks ago. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 22,000 people have been displaced since the campaign began.